Nana

Mariam's mother who after having lost her teenage sweetheart and becoming a mother out of wedlock, is now a strict, bitter woman. She is regularly visited by the "jinn"-- *cough*

I mean, she gets a lot of seizer attacks... She ends up committing suicide when Mariam leaves the "kolba" (house) for Jalil.

Quotes:

"Learn this now and learn this well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman."

(Part 1, Chapter 1, page 7- Nana to Mariam)

“It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have. Do you understand?”
(Part 1, Chapter 3, Page 19- Nana to Mariam)

"A man's heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn't like a mother's womb. It won't bleed, it won't stretch to make room for you."

(Part 1, Chapter 5, page 27- Nana to Mariam)